Shota Imanaga greets Cubs fans with perfect welcome at intro presser

Japanese starting pitcher Shota Imanaga was officially introduced by the Chicago Cubs on Friday ahead of what should be an exciting weekend for the Cub Convention.

Imanaga will spend the next few days meeting and greeting with his new teammates including new Cubs' manager Craig Counsell but a large part of the weekend will be spent with the team's fanbase.

Imanaga wasted no time in endearing himself to the Cubs fans across the world as his opening statement proves that he is ready for day games at the Federal Landmark.

An absolutely perfect rendition of the verse to the Cubs' anthem known as "Go Cubs Go" and if this was American Idol, he would be sent to Hollywood with the designation of being the favorite to win the competition.

Imanaga's opening statement on Friday is further confirmation that his heart was always on Chicago and pitching for the Cubs. Though, this is not the first Chicago tradition that Imanaga has experienced.

Patrick Mooney of The Athletic (Subscription Required) detailed the timeline of Imanaga's signing with the Cubs. Imanaga has spent much this past Fall in Chicago including living in the city since Christmas. Among the stops that Imanaga made was seeing Chicago Blackhawks' rookie phenom Connor Bedard's first home game at the United Center and circling back to have a picture with Michael Jordan's statue.

"It's different here" is not just the run-of-the-mill saying that the Cubs use and Imanaga's initial experiences in the city and in his opening press conference with the team prove that.

Oh, and for why he chose to don 18 as his jersey number, Imanaga wanted to pay his respects to a Cubs' World Series hero.

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